Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis questionable for Celtics vs. 76ers

BOSTON -- The Celtics will look to avenge last week's loss to the 76ers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, but they may be a bit shorthanded. Kristaps Porzingis and Jaylen Brown are both questionable and will be game-time decisions for Boston.

That would be a bummer, since both players have played great over the first 10 games of the season and have built an incredible rapport with each other on the floor. Luckily for the Celtics, they have three other star players in their lineup in Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Derrick White, not to mention Al Horford. 

Porzingis told reporters after the team's morning shoot in Philly that his ailment is "nothing too serious," revealing that it occurred during Monday night's win over the Knicks when he collided with Julius Randle. He added that he was limited at shootaround, and everyone wants to be smart about anything that pops up with him this season.

The injury didn't bother Porzingis as the Celtics beat the Knicks 114-98 on Monday, with the big man dropping 21 points in his 33 minutes of action. But he's battled knee injuries throughout his career, and with the Celtics playing four games over the next six nights, it's better for Boston to be safe (extremely safe) than sorry.

Brown, meanwhile, was added to the injury report Wednesday with a non-COVID illness. He was not at Boston's shootaround Wednesday morning.

While the Celtics may be missing two of their stars, the 76ers may be without their biggest star in Joel Embiid -- at least according to Porzingis. Philadelphia has not released an injury report for Wednesday night's game, but Embiid played 38 minutes (and scored 39 points) in the 76ers' In-Season Tournament loss to the Pacers on Tuesday night and may sit out the second leg of the back-to-back.

Both the Celtics and the 76ers are 8-2 on the season and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings, so it should be a good one no matter who does or doesn't play Wednesday night.